Printables

170+ Summer Bucket List Ideas for Kids

Get your summer checklist started with this list of over 170 different summer ideas and activities.

How to Create a Summer Bucket List for Kids

Creating a summer to-do list can help you and your family make the most of every long sunny (or even rainy) day this season. For kids, a summer bucket list likely includes the things they most enjoy or especially look forward to. 

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What is a bucket list?

A bucket list is a collection of activities a person wants to complete in a specified time.

A summer bucket list also often includes activities that are only possible in summer due to the extra leisure time or warmer weather. A good summer bucket list for kids should also feature “just for fun activities” and a few aspirational items that may require extra effort but pay off big in making memories.

Water Fun for Summer Bucket Lists

There’s no better time than summer for splashing around and getting wet! Just be sure to put on plenty of sunscreen before you start.

1. Run through the sprinkler
2. Play in the pool
3. Learn a new swimming stroke
4. Have a water balloon fight
5. Race toy sailboats
6. Dance in the rain (only without thunder and lightning!)
7. Play spray bottle tag
8. Freeze small toys in ice and dig them out
9. Knock down water balloon “piñatas”
10. Play baseball or catch with a water balloon ball
11. Make a DIY slip-and-slide in the yard
12. Try sponge toss games with soaked sponges
13. Have a pool noodle sword fight
14. Set up a water sensory bin with scoops and cups
15. Create a water wall using recycled bottles and tubes
16. Have a water relay race using sponges or cups

Nature Exploration Summer Bucket List Activities

Add a layer of bug spray over that sunscreen and head out to explore the great outdoors. Take advantage of beautiful weather to enjoy nature day and night this summer.

17. Go on a nature walk
18. Collect and display rocks or leaves
19. Go on a bug hunt
20. Pick wildflowers
21. Watch the clouds and find shapes
22. Make a birdfeeder
23. Plant a garden
24. Save seeds from sunflowers
25. Count butterflies
26. Listen for and identify bird songs or insect sounds
27. Create nature rubbings with leaves and bark
28. Visit a local nature preserve
29. Make a nature journal to record discoveries all summer long
30. Set up a bug hotel in the backyard
31. Go fishing or paddle boating at a local pond or lake
32. Go geocaching

Classic Summer Bucket List Activities for Kids

These are the activities that every kid loves to do each summer, and they’re perfect for family entertainment any day.

33. Blow bubbles
34. Draw with sidewalk chalk
35. Catch fireflies
36. Build a sandcastle
37. Fly a kite
38. Go on a family bike ride
39. Camp out in the backyard
40. Play flashlight tag
41. Hold a backyard scavenger hunt
42. Feed dried corn to local ducks
43. Go stargazing
44. Host a lemonade stand
45. Watch a fireworks show
46. Build a blanket fort
47. Play with glow sticks after dark
48. Build a bonfire
49. Light a sparkler
50. Try an outdoor science experiment like a vinegar and baking soda volcano
51. Have a paper airplane competition
52. Play classic lawn games like cornhole or ring toss

Summer Bucket List Ideas for Creative Kids

Summer is a terrific time for arts and crafts, music, theater, and other creative pursuits. Stock up on art supplies and let kids set their imaginations free!

53. Paint rocks and leave them for others to find
54. Tie-dye t-shirts or other items
55. Put on a play or puppet show
56. Craft homemade instruments
57. Hold a converter a play for friends and family
58. Assemble a summer collage of your choice
59. Build something with cardboard boxes
60. Invent a new game
61. Create a new dance and teach it to others
62. Make designs with sun print paper
63. Create a summer photo album or scrapbook
64. Try sand art in bottles or jars
65. Make your own wind chimes with recycled materials
66. Build a fairy garden
67. Do a weekly summer craft

Out-and-About Summer Bucket List Activities for Kids

Summer break means more time for family adventures! Here are some places and activities you may want to explore together.

68. Visit a local playground
69. Have a picnic in the park
70. Go to the zoo
71. Ride a carousel
72. Watch a movie outdoors
73. Shop at the farmer’s market
74. Visit the Little Free Libraries in your neighborhood
75. Ride on a train or boat
76. Go to an outdoor concert
77. Play mini-golf (try glow-in-the-dark mini golf too!)
78. Visit the county fair
79. Join a summer reading program
80. Check out a new playground or park
81. Visit a nature center
82. Attend a baseball game or other sports event
83. Go on a short road trip to a nearby town
84. Take a guided tour of a local farm
85. Visit a splash pad or water playground
86. Try a kids’ workshop at a home improvement store
87. Explore a historical site or landmark in your area

Quiet Time Summer Bucket List Ideas for Kids

Long lazy days and rainy afternoons leave lots of room for quiet time activities. These ideas entertain kids without creating much of a mess or noise.

88. Set up a cozy spot outdoors and read a book 
89. Have a stuffed animal tea party
90. Listen to an audiobook on a too hot or rainy day and complete some summer worksheets
91. Write and illustrate your own book
92. Look at old family photos
93. Draw a picture to send to a friend
94. Watch the sunrise or sunset
95. Form a family book club or a book club with friends
96. Clean out a closet and donate unwanted items
97. Learn 10 words in another language
98. Try kids’ yoga outdoors or with a video
99. Write and mail postcards to friends or family
100. Listen to relaxing nature sounds while working on summer coloring pages
101. Tell riddles or silly Dad jokes to a friend or family member

Summer Bucket List Food and Treats

Some foods just taste better in summer! Be sure to add a few yummy treats to your summer checklist!

102. Cut up and eat a watermelon
103. Squeeze homemade lemonade
104. Wash and eat fruit or vegetables straight from a garden
105. Freeze your own popsicles
106. Make fresh fruit kabobs
107. Eat cotton candy at the fair or amusement park
108. Make some homemade jam
109. Roast hot dogs over a fire
110. Make s’mores
111. Enjoy homemade ice cream
112. Make a no-bake dessert together
113. Create your own trail mix with favorite nuts, seeds, and dried fruit
114. Host a backyard picnic with finger foods and a picnic blanket
115. Try a new fruit or veggie you’ve never had before
116. Make flavored ice cubes with juice or fruit pieces
117. Create edible art with fruit slices, yogurt, and graham crackers
118. Have a build-your-own taco or sandwich night
119. Make a smoothie together and give it a fun name
120. Make popcorn and flavor it with fun toppings for a movie night

Active Summer Bucket List Activities for Kids

Work off excess energy with plenty of activity, movement, and exercise outdoors. Summer gives kids time to climb, run, stretch, dance, and jump all day long!

121. Build a backyard obstacle course
122. Toss a frisbee with friends
123. Run relay races
124. Draw the longest hopscotch course you can
125. Climb a tree
126. Try to beat your jump rope record
127. Learn how to hula hoop
128. Host a family Olympics
129. Learn to do a somersault, cartwheel, or headstand
130. Take a hike someplace new
131. Dig a hole in the sand and then fill it back up (this is important for wildlife)
132. Climb a tower at a park
133. Play freeze dance with favorite songs
134. Go rollerblading, biking, or scootering around the neighborhood
135. Create and complete a sidewalk chalk maze
136. Do a silly walking contest (crab walk, bear crawl, etc.)
137. Learn and perform a short jump rope routine
138. Find a new way to play catch (like using a laundry basket or grocery bag)

Pretend Play Summer Bucket List Activities

Pull out the dress-up clothes, round up the toys, and use your imagination to bring these pretend scenarios to life!

139. Dress up as superheroes
140. Bury toy dinosaurs and dig them up as paleontologists
141. Create a tent for shelter on an expedition
142. Run a car wash for toy vehicles
143. Set up a pretend restaurant
144. Make a treasure map for a parent or sibling
145. Run an ice cream shop
146. Create a backyard stuffed animal zoo or farm
147. Go on a backyard safari
148. Have a beach day in the backyard
149. Set up a pretend post office and deliver mail to family members
150. Create a pirate ship using cardboard boxes or lawn chairs
151. Host a fashion show with dress-up clothes and a homemade runway
152. Build a pretend rocket ship and go on a space adventure
153. Set up a “vet clinic” for stuffed animals
154. Pretend to be chefs and create a cooking show video
155. Act out a fairy tale using costumes and props
156. Create a pretend grocery store and shop for play food
157. Set up a school with toys as students and play teacher

Community Summer Bucket List Activities

Gather up the neighborhood to celebrate the summer season! These activities will take a bit of coordination, but they’ll allow everyone around to get involved in the fun.

158. Hold a neighborhood parade
159. Host a backyard carnival with simple games and events
160. Participate in an enormous game of hide-and-seek
161. Work in a community garden
162. Organize a neighborhood sidewalk art show
163. Help a neighbor with a chore or task
164. Volunteer as a family
165. Have a bicycle-decorating contest
166. Host a neighborhood book swap
167. Throw a community bubble-blowing party
168. Have a front yard potluck party for everyone on your street
169. Organize a neighborhood outdoor story time
170. Start a “share table” with extra garden produce
171. Organize a summer talent show

Printable Bucket List HERE

Get more summer checklist ideas!

Check out more activities in our list of Engaging and Educational Summer Activities for Preschoolers and our 50 Summer Activities for Kids to Do at Home.

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